Khem Birch Interview

Khem Birch spent some time answering some questions that were on my mind, and I'm sure a lot of Runnin' Rebels fans' minds and this interview is the finished result. Would like to sincerely thank Khem Birch, he's a real class-act and a major piece of UNLV's charge to the top of college basketball.

RR = RebelReign
KB = Khem Birch

RR: Since you transferred from Pittsburgh and sat out last half of  the season, this summer, and first half of next – what are you working on basketball skills wise?

KB: Me and Coach Augmon have been working on midrange shots, face up moves, and shooting on the run.

RR: And what would you say, of those areas, have you had the most improvement in so far?

KB: I would say midrange shot.

RR: So how far is your range right now?

KB: I’ve been able to hit threes I haven’t hit before, but I’m more streaky when it comes to the three. My midrange shot is much better.

RR: So you’re pretty good from 16-18 feet out?

KB: Yeah.

RR: Are you a better shooter catch and shoot, or from the dribble?

KB: I would say catching off the pass.

RR: Physically, obviously you’ve been working with Coach Kabo in the weight room?

KB: Yeah.

RR: Is there any particular things he has worked with you on that you weren’t working on at Pittsburgh?

KB: I’ve been able to lift and keep my balance. At Pittsburg I was able to gain weight, but not jump – here I’m able to gain the weight and still jump.

RR: So he’s been focused on your vertical?

KB: Yeah, I’m still getting better, I’ve gained 10 points of muscle.

RR: Is that upper body, or lower body, or evenly spread?

KB: Yeah, even.

RR: Are there any areas physically you need to improve, I know you just said you’ve put on the 10 pounds but are you looking to add more bulk, or are you good where you are at?

KB: Yeah, definitely my lower body, my legs are still skinny. So I’m trying to do more leg stuff.

RR: Obviously, that will help you playing the 4/5 position.

KB: Yeah.

RR: I want to talk a minute about Anthony Bennett, you met him a while back while both in Canada?

KB: I was 17. We were on Team Canada together.

RR: Were you also both on CIA together?

KB: No, I was on the older team.

RR: Throughout his recruitment, you guys being in the same city that must have had a profound effect – any every Rebel fan thanks you. How excited are you to play along side Anthony this coming year?

KB: I am really excited. The last time we played together we did really well. So hopefully we can do more. We can probably get to the final four and win a championship together.

RR: Did you play together at the same time on Team Canada?

KB: Yeah, that worked out really well.

RR: What do you think of the addition of Roscoe Smith?

KB: I feel its great because he knows what it takes to win a national championship. He’s a really good player so, my hopes were up that he would come. I told him I wanted him to come, and I’m very excited.

RR: Were you surprised at all that he did chose UNLV?

KB: Actually I was, because he told me he was going to look at other schools and I was like, dang. He might… once you go to another school you might get another opinion, but that wasn’t the case. But I guess he really liked the visit and I guess we did a good job of showing him around Las Vegas.

RR: Its been well reported that last season’s win over #1 at the time UNC Tarheels put UNLV on your radar as far as transfer destination, but what specifically about UNLV attracted you and players like yourself to UNLV? Is it the opportunity to work with Coach Augmon and develop you as a forward?

KB: It was Coach Rice actually, he lets you play more free form, and run and gun, and that’s the style of play I really wanted. Having Coach Augmon and the other coaches helps as well because they were really nice  when I visited.

RR: So it’s the run and gun style that attracts players?

KB: Yeah.

RR: What do you think of the Mendenhall Center?

KB: I’m in there everyday, working out in there, morning, noon, and nighttime.

RR: Obviously better than the gym you used to play in.

KB: Definitely.

RR: How is it working out and playing against Mike Moser, Carlos Lopez, and everyone?

KB: It helps a lot, especially Mike. He’s really good on defense, he has quick feet. Its tough to get past him. And Carlos is strong. Its really good.

RR: What did you think by the visit and talk by Mike Tyson before the tournament?

KB: I was in shock, I can’t believe I saw Mike Tyson. He’s a really nice guy. I loved when he said even thought you don’t want to practice every day, you just have to. I take what he said to heart, and I go to the gym.

RR: During practice time, who is your favorite player to battle?

KB: I would have to say Brice Massamba. He’s really physical. And Quintrell, he’s really strong and brings physicality to the game. I would say Brice.

RR: How do you see UNLV fitting into your future plans as far as getting drafted and playing in the NBA?

KB: People think that, but I don’t really sweat that. If I was looking to get drafted quicker I probably would have stayed at Pitt and not taken the redshirt year. I’m really trying to graduate, and hopefully make the NBA in a year and a half.

RR: Well that’s a very humble attitude, I guess the ultimate decision is out of your hands. So that’s a good perspective to have.

KB: Yeah, definitely.

RR: How do you like living in Las Vegas versus Pittsburg?

KB: I like it way better, there is a lot of sun – not gloomy. People are real friendly here, lots to do. And the coaching staff is great.

RR: What do you think about 24 hrs supermarkets and fast food, they don’t have that everywhere else?

KB: That’s actually true, yeah. Cause I really get hungry at night.

RR: So you can hit the jack in the box or Taco Bell.

KB: Yeah

RR: What’s your favorite basketball shoe?

KB: Nike Foamposite Penny Hardaway.

RR: Is that because of the way they handle, or how light they are?

KB: No, its because of the way they look.

RR: Favorite NBA team?

KB: I don’t really have one.

RR: Favorite NBA player?

KB: Kobe Bryant

RR: Since Kobe is more of a shooting guard, and you play forward are there any forwards you idolize and like their game?

KB: Serge Ibaka game’s actually.

RR: He’s tough, he’s a good athlete – I get that.

KB: Yeah

RR: Well, thank you for the interview.

KB: No problem, thank you very much.

Roster Preview: 2012-13 Forwards

The Forward spot has been a place where the Rebels had limited depth, and now still have limited depth. Looking at 2011-12, the primary forwards were obviously Chace Stanback and Mike Moser. With Stanback graduating and Moser thankfully returning for what will likely be his final UNLV season (barring injury), the question is who will run alongside Moser? Several of the 'forwards' have previosly been penciled into the center spot by virtue of someone is needed there (Carlos Lopez, Quintrell Thomas and possibly Khem Birch) and have been previewed several weeks ago - but who is left to be the next Chace Stanback? Who will give some relief so that the guard heavy roster isn't outmatched by taller more physical forwards? Let's take a peek.

Mike Moser

Mike is a wildly talented and driven player who had much more ups than downs last year, but the teams success and demise rose and fell with his performance, by and large. Was there a game that was lost when Mike Moser played very well? Yes - that aborition at TCU where we lost 102-97 (Moser had 22 pts, 8 rebs) but by and large in the vast majority of the losses Moser was underperforming, as was the rest of the team. 

In his first season with the Rebels, he had to deal with sudden extreme expectations having been named as a Naismith Player of  the Year Candidate very early on, having to deal with injuries, and then having his shot fall off as the season progressed. This is a lot for anyone to deal with, especially someone who is new to the system, and playing for a coach who wasn't the one who recruited you. All in all, Mike Moser's Junior year should be one of high expectations - as he's all but a lock to play in the NBA provided he shores up a few shortcomings, and the Rebels perform well. 

What Moser does well - He is tall, athletic, and hard to guard. He has an interesting set of tools in his toolbox, being that he can block shots, he can easily dunk or catch the lob for the ally opp. He can also steal and defend as well as anyone - and of course, we have the rebounding. As a solid double digit scorer as well as rebounder, he is the heart and soul of the Rebels. Coach Rice had said that the Runnin' offense is successful when there's high pressure defense, and rebounding so that a fast break can take place off of a missed shot. That's Moser's bread and butter. Ken Pomeroy made an interesting observation mid-season, stating essentially that Moser was a statistical anomaly given his offensive rebounding prowess and three point shooting percentage. Link This could be chalked up as a good thing or bad thing. As a good - to make an easy, popular reference, Dirk Nowitski is 6'11", is often the tallest guy on the court, yet he can shoot the three like a guard. For the same reason that Nowitski is a rare player, a guy like Moser who can pull down boards like nobody's business isn't presumed to normally have the ability to shoot a three pointer with much consistancy. Why? Because great rebounders are normally taller players, and taller players (like Dirk) don't normally shoot the three well (or free throws for that matter). Moser is a great player, and what's great about the Rebels is even though Moser is this, that and the other kind of awesome - you don't expect him to be the Rebels leading scorer that frequently. That's because our roster is still stockplied with great players, even more so than last year. 

What Moser doesn't do well - he's still not as bulky as other dominant power forwards who project well to rebound well in the NBA. Easy example - Drew Gordon (UNM) has the body necessary to occupy space, and not give ground to other forwards. Mike Moser has upper body muscle, but he lacks bulk in the hips and legs especially that may have contributed to his fatigue later in the season. Getting back to the statistical anomoly that Ken Pomeroy pointed out, the bad side of that is it shows that Moser may have been too comfortable shooting the three pointer. No secret, UNLV over Coach Krueger's tenure has been a team in love with the long ball, and the 'streak' has been somewhat of a constant reminder of the importance of shooting the three - but the team's leading rebounder should maybe shoot a whole lot more layups and short range higher percentage jumpers. Example, Mike Moser's three point percentage was 33%, he made 44 of 133 attempts. Total field goal percentage was 45% he made 184 of 409 attempts. Subtract out his three point shooting, and we get a 2 point percentage of nearly 51% . His three point attempts accounted for 32.5% of his shot selection. Clearly, three pointers are worth more than two pointers, but making only 1 of 3  from deep versus 1 of 2 from within the line potentially means he could have been a more effective player - less reliant on the three. My evaluation of what Mike needs to do to get better and become more complete, is to hit the weight room and build more lower body muscle, still maintain his quickness, and build on his short to mid range game. If Mike does improve like he's capable of, he is a lottery pick. 

Demetris Morant

The Bishop Gorman incoming freshman has a daunting decision ahead of him - burn a redshirt year or try to crack the rotation. The general evaluation of Morant is that he is a hyper athletic player who has tons of above-the-rim ability, is a one man block party, but who's offensive game is under developed. This carries slight risk for the Rebels, as improving under the tutelage of Dave Rice means building an offensive repertoire. Weighing heavily on whether to take a red shirt year depends largely on minutes available now, and whether dipping his toe in the water right away and potentially not being as successful as possible could mess with his confidence. Time and circumstance will tell on that point. The other similarly tall players who he may compete for minutes with, are the aforementioned Mike Moser, Quintrell Thomas, Khem Birch, Carlos Lopez, and Bryce Jones - who is a tallish tweener guard at 6'5" (Michael Jordan was also a guard, and 6'5"). The other big question is whether he'll be playing the 4 or 5? Throughout his stay at Bishop Gorman Morant was put in the center position. As a center, he's undersized - but UNLV has a history of success with undersized centers (Lou Amundson, Joel Anthony). My gut reaction is that he will take the redshirt, and then breakthrough better when Quintrell Thomas has graduated and Mike Moser has left for the NBA. 

Bryce Jones

Mr. Competetive, but also Mr. Misunderstood - he's the USC transfer who has waited out his redshirt year and is poised to make a big spash on the court this year. I'm mentioning him in the 'forwards' category because my take on the rotation (guard heavy) would likely having him match-up with a forward, and at his height he would be capable of guarding a forward up to perhaps 6'8". The line on Bryce is that he sometimes has been the best player on the court in many practices last year - no small feat given how good the team was through the majority of last year. The same complement was paid to a man by the name of Mike Moser - and look how good that turned out. Bryce Jones left USC because of playing time, and an altercation with another teammate. With some temperance on his live or die playing attitude, he will either push others to succeed, or be toxic to the chemistry of  the team. My thoughts are that the coaching staff assembled have enough experience and knowledge to be able to gauge his + or - , and will adjust based on that. Yes, we have a history of transfers, but we also kick malcontents to the curb - see Emmanuel Adeife. 

For Bryce to be a successful player, everyone needs to wipe the slate clean, recognize who he is, what he's been through, and what occurred and brings him to the Rebels. Then, purely evaluate him based on what occurs while he wears the Scarlet and Gray. Bryce Jones has the ability to be a special player, a scoring powerhouse, and a confident give-it-all-you got baller, a complete player. He just needs to have the maturity to work within Coach Rice's offense, be unselfish when someone has a better shot than he does, and to celebrate his teammates as much as he can. The offensive load left by Chace Stanback must be picked up by someone - and Bryce and Khem Birch are the most likely candidates to handle the task. 

(Want to know where Carlos Lopez, Quintell Thomas, and Khem Birch were discussed? Click here)

Roster preview: 2012-13 Centers

This is the first in a three part series about next year’s roster.

This past season the center spot has evolved with the three returning guys, Brice Massamba, Carlos Lopez, and Quintrell Thomas assuming different roles.

Massamba earned the well deserved trust of Coach Rice, playing harder, smarter, and scoring more than he had under any of  his previous years with Coach Kruger.
Carlos Lopez had a decent season, but the breakout that everyone was anticipating given his flashy moves and universal fan-favorite status among the faithful didn’t materialize due to injuries and illnesses.
Quintrell Thomas was used more sporadically than in the previous years, and was at times very good, and at times a DNP on the stat sheet.

In the coming year, we say goodbye to Brice, and hello Khem Birch, and possibly and Matt Willms. Lets breakdown who’s returning, who may be here, and what to expect.


Carlos Lopez
6’11” 215 pounds and a lot of talent, as well as heart. Carlos Lopez has been an effective big man for the Rebels since he finished his freshman redshirt year. Regarding talent, he has a repertoire that includes fake passes, fancy footwork, a short-to-mid range game - and he brings instant energy when inserted. Nearly a 7 footer, Carlos is also listed as a forward, and throughout the season was played as such by Coach Rice. Not sure whether the change was inspired by the Coach, or by Carlos, but due to the illness and injuries we didn’t get to see enough Carlos to judge whether a move to forward to play along-side another big man was a good strategy, especially in the uptempo Runnin' offense.

Next year I see Carlos either sticking with the center position due to the lack of  experienced alternatives, or Coach Rice playing a modified lineup where the best matched player will defend the opposing team’s center, while offensively the team runs a 3 forward 2 guard lineup, or perhaps at times a 2 forward 3 guard lineup. Regardless of Carlos’s position, I do see it as a breakout season for him. There will be a lot of slack to pick up regarding losing Brice’s numbers, and areas that Carlos can show improvement. For example, Carlos can be a great playmaker for the Rebels – especially since several other players on the floor are likely to draw the double team because of the reputation for offensive potency. Carlos is a good shooter, and for a big man 63% from the field is respectable. But, last season he only had 95 field goal attempts. In contrast, Massamba had 135, and Mike Moser had 409. With his talent, heart, and creativity he has to have some first option plays drawn up for him. His other area of improvement has to be free throw shooting – a traditional sore spot for big men, but 61% isn’t cutting it. Closer to 75% should be his goal this year. As for positives, he’s already a very effective shot blocker, as well as a ball thief. Dependant on the role Khem Birch assumes, I see Carlos Lopez as a very good option for starting center. If not a starter, bringing him off the bench with other energy people makes for a great pace-changer.


Quintrell Thomas
6’8” 245 pounds, he feels the game, and is sometimes the difference maker for the Rebels. The difference from his role with Coach Kruger, is under Coach Kruger he was used in rotating fashion with Brice and Carlos, basically someone would occupy the space until they racked up 1 foul, then the next guy would go in, and so on. This was extremely frustrating to watch, and must have been excruciating to be a part of. The question is, was it better to play in a way where it was difficult to get into the rhythm of the game because of constantly rotating in and out, or playing a bunch in some games and barely at all in others. Coach Rice saw Quintrell as someone who would have match-up problems with the opposing team’s centers, and for that reason he was not played in several games. No doubt about it, Thomas is small to be playing center at 6’8”, but I assume he knew that in transferring from Kansas. Although the roster lists him as a ‘forward’ he really hasn’t occupied that position for the Rebels.  His main physical attribute for playing the position is his physical size – he can take up space, and has the mass not to be pushed off the block. In the last two seasons we’ve seen flashes of great play by Quintrell Thomas, but this past season really calls into question the role Coach Rice has in mind for him in his final season.

Because of the size issue, unless Thomas is clearly besting all of the other candidates in practice and in Canada, I don’t see him being the starter. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that he’ll be at his most effective against an opposing player who is 6’10” and shorter.  Both his shooting percentage and free throw percentage ranked among worst at the center position, but he was a more effective shot blocker than Lopez and Massamba (had double what Massamba had, and played half the minutes. Unfortunately for him with all the issues with his foul trouble last season – that problem has been solved, but his effectiveness has diminished, 6.7 ppg in 2010-11, now 4.4 in 2011-12. In the off season, his hands need to improve – if that’s possible. He has had struggles with shooting and rebounding because the basketball does not hold tight in his hands, and sometimes falls out or gets shot poorly. This may be an issue that may never be remedied, but this is his last collegiate season and if he wants to keep playing basketball professionally, these issues need to be overcome. I really want to see Quintrell Thomas have a breakout senior year – much like Brice Massamba did.


Khem Birch
6’9” 220 pounds, Khem Birch is a transfer from the University of Pittsburgh, and a former McDonald's All-American. He will not be eligible to play until after the fall semester, the same way that Reggie Smith was not eligible until this past spring term (or until fall grades were posted). It will be interesting to see how things change once he is inserted into the lineup and ready to play. Clearly, with his basketball pedigree and accolades – he can play. Luckily, if he is as good as his reputations predicts him to be, by virtue of his transfer situation we’ll have at least a year and a half of him playing for us (nobody is going to draft a guy based upon a semesters worth of college ball – unless we go final four and he’s the reason why).

Khem is another guy who would be slightly undersized at the center position. One of the reasons Khem transferred away from Pitt among other issues, was that he did not want to play center. Likely reason behind that – he knows he would not translate as a NBA center, he would be a power forward – which is a well founded conclusion. With someone who specifically did not want to do something, it will be extremely important for Coach Rice not to play him at center, and cause him to disengage because of it. If Birch’s presence in the spring lineup changes anything dramatically, it will likely be the 3F2G, or 2F3G lineup alluded to earlier. What will also be interesting to watch is whether he becomes a starter, even though he hasn’t  played in the fall. I highly doubt it, unless the Rebels have an uncharacteristically poor season up to that point. Great things are expected from this unexpected player, and he may be the gift that keeps on giving if he is able to solidify Anthony Bennett’s presence on the Rebels’ roster.

What’s exciting about Birch, is that he’s shown himself to be a player capable of double-doubles, as well as averaging nearly 2 blocks a game. With an inside presence like that, our rebounding woes should be cured, as well as the paint held much more sacred. Hopefully, no more guards running through the lane like a hot knife through butter. It will be as interesting as anything to see how Khem Birch changes the Rebels midway through next season.


Bryan Glenn
6’11 215 pounds – a lucky find to get a local player who in a non-scholarship capacity fit the bill as a tall center on the scout team. Chances are, unless you’ve been to practices you’ve not seen him play. I’ve not been – so I haven’t seen him play. The fact that Coach Rice hasn’t seen his way to play Bryan Glenn, even in garbage time, shows he has a lot of way to go to crack the lineup. But, one can always hope that he somehow someway becomes a viable center candidate because of his sheer size and all of  the great experience he’s getting playing as the opposing team against the nationally ranked Runnin' Rebels. Even if  that’s a pipe dream, we are still more than happy to have the services of Mr. Glenn helping the Rebels to be great. Thank you Bryan Glenn.


Matt Willms
6’11” 210 pounds, it seems fitting to get another big man from Findlay Prep to replace the outgoing Brice Massamba. According to information online, UNLV is in the running, as well as Providence, Long Beach State, and Marquette. He’s a true center, but has a nice complementary skill set that can cause the defense to respect him outside of the restricted area. From what I’ve seen on mix-tapes, he can follow the action and swoop in to dunk the ball, but he can also stoke a three, at least from high school distance. The biggest knock on Willms, is that he’s rail thin at only 210 (up 10 pounds from the previous season). The facts are that he’s a legit prospect to be a very good center, and UNLV will someday soon be devoid of true centers. Provided everything works out and there are no better alternatives, this should work out. Should the Rebels take Matt Willms, I fully expect him to redshirt his first year due to the current depth at the center position, plus time to mature and get better. Go get Willms!

The push for ‘two-bigs’ meets the push for uptempo

   

The 2010-11 season saw freshman Carlos Lopez, who redshirted his first year and transfer Quintrell Thomas, who sat per NCAA transfer rules, join big man Brice Massamba in UNLV’s pool of big-men. Almost instantaneously, many of the fans began to ask, ‘when is Coach Kruger going to play 2 big men at once?’ Coach Kruger normally only played one of these guys at a time, using them in short bursts, especially Massamba and Lopez. Thomas gained more minutes when he overcame his propensity to commit fouls, which thankfully was over by before the conference schedule started. Nonetheless, despite the Rebels success (or because of lack of success dependant on your perspective) all year the same question, when are they going to play two bigs at once? A lot has changed in the off-season, let’s examine if this will be a possibility under Coach Rice.

Coach Dave Rice’s stated mission is to win basketball games, and do so by playing up-tempo Runnin’ Rebels basketball such as the style made famous under Coach Tarkanian. Does having two big men in your starting lineup make sense in an up-tempo game?

NBA examples

Some of the most obvious examples of the two-bigs scenario come from former NBA teams. The Duncan-Robinson era Spurs are one of the successful – but they didn’t win by playing up-tempo basketball, they did it by shutting down the paint, and relentless defense. In their seasons together, the team never cracked the top-ten in points-per-game scored, but they did hover around #1 in least points allowed.

An earlier example of the two-bigs or “twin towers” as they were more commonly referred to pre-9/11, was Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson together on the Houston Rockets. They collaborated from 1985-88 and produced deep pushes into the post-season, they also did so by having respectable middle-of-the-pack team points per game levels.

Bill Cartwright and Patrick Ewing pulled off the duo in 1986-88, but like the Spurs had back-of-the-pack offensive production, yet some success. No surprise, Knicks basketball has remained slow until D’antoni took the helm, but now the defense sucks so they continue to lose.

As seen by the professional level, two bigs can be seen as an asset and quite effective – if the defense makes up for the lack of offense. With few exceptions such as Shaq and Dirk Nowitzki, the guy playing center normally does not account of the bulk of points. If you are essentially playing two centers, that puts the scoring burden more on the three perimeter players. Granted, having two big guys in the lane does shut down the paint, but unless they are especially good offensively, nobody is doubling them and they aren’t really opening up much for the others. Normally, the bigger the player the slower they are. Coaches also want their centers to put on muscle and not be stick figures so they can bang in the post and rebound, that tends to slow them down ever further. This does not normally bode well for fast-break basketball.

UNLV

UNLV’s three bigs are Carlos Lopez, Brice Massamba, and Quintrell Thomas. Thomas is actually only 6’8, so he is more of a power-forward sized and type player who has volunteered to play starting center. The good thing is that at 6’8” he has a better chance of being able to run up and down the floor. Playing Thomas along side Lopez or Massamba is a possibility, but that would put Thomas filling the roll of a power-forward, which right now, may be not the most comfortable for him. Playing Lopez and Massamba together would be a disaster, that would slow things down to a Utah Ute’s pace and put a tremendous scoring burden on the other three.

My take on it, is although UNLV has three big-men on their bench, it is unlikely that Coach Rice would play two of them together at once. Playing two together runs contrary to his style of play. The only scenario under which I see Coach Rice doing it, would be Lopez and Thomas together, if our team is being severely beaten by the other teams offense and we need to employ a gimmick defense.

Otherwise, we will likely see these three players swapped out more consistently, as they will be tired quickly under the fast-break style. In fact, look for Coach to go deeper into the roster on every position on a regular basis, running all the time will wear out even the best conditioned player.

Once Coach Rice’s brand of basketball is seen and proves successful, nobody should be asking about two bigs again.

Update: 2011-12 Schedule page updated
New polls posted
Oscar Bellfield's twitter feed located: http://twitter.com/#!/odyebeeisback

Season awards

Season awards

Every season, players deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments. Let these awards recognize some of the outstanding accomplishments of last season, and are no way a slight to anyone who was not recognized. Unlike Tee ball, not everyone will get a trophy. Let’s celebrate the Runnin’ Rebels!

Points leader – Chace Stanback 

Chace led the Rebels in points made during the season, making 162/339 field goals, equaling 47% . His scoring led the UNLV to its first national ranking of the season, and helped the team dominate the 76 Anaheim Classic, winning MVP. When the team was without significant contributions from Tre’von Willis, Stanback was leading the way. His best game of the season came against Wisconsin scoring 25 points in 32 minutes, helping the Rebels to beat the highly respected Badgers 68-65. Chace also had nearly a high at 24 points in the 94-79 beating at TCU. That game was mostly garbage time, with an attendance of about 300, but it helped the Rebels regain some confidence going into a showdown with the top-rated SDSU Aztecs. Stanback averaged 13.0 PPG for the season.

- Honorable mention – Tre’von Willis

Willis scored 382 points on 125 of 289 shooting, equaling 43%. He actually had a slightly higher average than Stanback with 13.2 PPG, but played less due to injuries / suspension. Willis’s highest production came against the New Mexico Lobos on February 23 where he scored 25 points and we won in overtime 77-74.

Rebounds leader – Chace Stanback

Who would have guessed it? One would assume it would have been one of the ‘big 3’ who would have earned that title, but Stanback led the team in rebounds last season. Stanback collected 60 offensive rebounds and 135 defensive rebounds totaling 195 boards.  He averaged 5.9 a game. There are qualities that make someone more akin to rebounding, size, position, and hustle are a few. Chace is 6’8” so he can grab basketball over smaller guards and forwards. Chace seemed to be in the right place at the right time, either by luck or intuition.

- Honorable mention – Quintrell Thomas

A member of the three-headed-monster, he racked up 64 offensive and 107 defense rebounds for a total of 171 boards. He did this playing considerably almost half the minutes that Stanback did, 507 vs 967, so his rebound production was on-par with what one would expect. Surely, had Q been given the minutes he would have led the category.

Steals leader – Tre’von Willis

Tre’von Willis led the team with 46, making him leader of the pickpockets. This number was actually an improvement over the previous season’s 41 steals. Steals are quite valuable because they take away the opposing teams opportunity to score, and usually lead to transition points.

-Honorable mentions – Anthony Marshall and Justin Hawkins

Anthony Marshall had 42 steals, and Justin Hawkins had 41. Both figure to be key pieces of UNLVs forward progress, and one or both will have to do even better in the absence of Willis. Also impressive about Hawkins, he had 41 playing over 200 less minutes than Willis or Marshall.

Three point shots leader – Oscar Bellfield

Oscar Bellfield made 66 of 174 attempts, equaling nearly 38%. In addition to being the three-point leader, he was running the team at point guard, which takes a lot of energy. While this past season as a team was not stellar from beyond the arc, 38% is still an impressive figure. Hopefully a more potent offense will free up shooters from three helping Oscar to shoot even more next season.

- Honorable mention – Chace Stanback

Chace Stanback made 47 of 130, equaling 36% from 3. Provided he is not suspended for too long his shooting will be critical with the absence of Willis.

Blocks leader – Carlos Lopez

Carlos Lopez led the way last year with 25 blocks. A formidable blocking presence tends to shut down easy layups and dunks, making a team have to take more jump shots. Lopez was only a freshman last year – look for big things from him, he has the chance to be really special.

- Honorable mention – Quintrell Thomas

Quintrell Thomas was right behind Lopez with 24 blocks. This was an impressive feat seeing how he is only 6’8” as compared to Lopez at 6’11”. Both Thomas and Lopez enjoyed first year success at UNLV and look to capitalize further next year.

Newcomer of the year – Quintrell Thomas

Although he transferred in from Kansas, it is a tough task to crack the starting lineup in your first year with a team that wins as many games with the Rebels. Quintrell did just that. He became a force to be reckoned with once he figured out how to deal with Coach Kruger’s constant substitutions and foul trouble. Because he came from Kansas, there was a lot of hype and expectations for Thomas – 

but he has lived up to it. Expect great things from him.

- Honorable mention – Carlos Lopez

As a redshirt freshmen he provided energy and important production that helped the Rebels succeed this past year.

Most improved player – Anthony Marshall

Marshall elevated his game between his freshman and sophomore years. His numbers jumped from 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game to 9.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He filled in admirably when Willis was out, and his leaping ability was unmatched during the year, producing highlight dunks. The future looks very bright for this local player’s junior season.

Hustle guy / fan favorite – Carlos Lopez

From his bouncy fro to his fauxhawk, Carlos has been a colorful addition to the roster and has won the support of the fans. When he enters the game, its instant energy. Besides putting more energy and effort when he is in, he’s shown some crafty footwork and fakes that make him exciting to watch. He also led the team in blocked shots, so that’s always fun. Look for Lopez to get even better and earn more minutes next season.

Mr. Quotes – Quintrell Thomas

Hardly did a week go by without Quintrell getting quoted in the newspaper saying something short but extremely accurate about what needed to happen next game, or what just happened. Somewhere during last season a Thomas quote became a staple of any good article. Frankly I want more, this guy has a lot to say, but he says it in a mature manner. Kudos to Quintrell for talking the talk and backing it up.

Iron man award – Oscar Bellfield

He played more than any other rebel last season, 1111 minutes. No other Rebel even cracked 1000. He averaged 33.7 minutes per game and never missed one. This figure is way up from the 28 MPG the season previous. Hopefully all those minutes didn’t wear him out. Please take an ice bath, we’ll need you healthy for your final campaign as a Rebel.

Celebrating UNLV history award – Dave Rice and Stacey Augmon

It is always good to see a team celebrate its history, and it’s also important in doing so not to trivialize the job by filling it with an alumni. UNLV met both criteria by selecting Coach Dave Rice and Assistant Coach Stacey Augmon, both members of the 1990 championship team. I would have to call Stacey Augmon’s move to the Rebels more of a personal sacrifice, so I think it’s worth celebrating. He had a great gig going for him with the Denver Nuggets, and obviously a good life in Denver. No doubt, Stacey made some sacrifices to come and be a Rebel again. Welcome back!

MVP – Chace Stanback

When UNLV was headed in the right direction last season he was right out front. Stanback is the reason why the Rebels were initially ranked, and he dominated the Anaheim classic, winning MVP there as well. Clearly, you have to give the points and rebound leader the award, he has earned it. Hopefully Stanback is able to top his Junior year and lead the Rebels further into the NCAA tournament.

Also, congratulations to Shawn Marion and Joel Anthony to being key parts of their teams march to the NBA Finals. UNLV Athletics had this snazzy graphic posted, so I thought I would share: